Launching an LPN Career in Memphis: An Insider‘s Guide
Embarking on an LPN career path presents immense opportunities to kickstart a meaningful nursing profession, especially throughout the thriving Memphis region.
As the second largest city in Tennessee, Memphis offers aspiring Licensed Practical Nurses plentiful openings to gain the skills, experience and connections to build rewarding long-term careers. Major hospitals and medical centers across Memphis regularly seek qualified LPN candidates to meet growing talent needs.
So what does the local job outlook for LPNs currently look like? Projections signal substantial nursing job growth is coming to the Memphis area over this decade.
According to recent statistics from the Tennessee Department of Labor, LPN roles throughout the Memphis region are expected to expand by 15% through 2028. This outlook exceeds the average 10% national job growth rate forecasted for LPNs during this period.
These projections translate to over 800 additional LPN job openings throughout Memphis healthcare employers. Industry recruiters also spotlight rising demand for talented LPNs.
“With experienced nurses retiring and the local population aging, significant LPN hiring is absolutely taking place across Memphis providers to deliver quality care,” remarks Sandra Morris, Nursing Recruitment Manager with Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation.
So in terms of securing employment locally, rest assured – embarking on an LPN career path in Memphis is a very promising choice!
This insider guide examines everything aspiring nurses need to know about succeeding in LPN training and finding jobs after graduation. Let‘s explore premier LPN program options, spotlight graduate successes, outline career launch steps and more.
The LPN Career: Impact and Opportunity in Memphis
Across the country over 740,000 LPNs currently work treating patients, collecting health histories, monitoring vital signs and more. These nursing professionals deliver hands-on medical care in physicians’ offices, hospitals, long-term care facilities and other settings.
LPNs possess strong communication, detail-orientation, empathy, adaptability and critical thinking skills. Typical LPN job duties include:
- Recording medical histories and symptom complaints
- Monitoring patient vital signs
- Administering medications, detailed treatments and wound care
- Collecting laboratory specimens and blood samples
- Providing basic patient health education and discharge instructions
In Memphis, LPNs secure jobs across major hospitals like Baptist Memorial, specialty clinics and leading long-term care centers. One experienced local LPN spotlighting her varied nursing roles is Shanda Williams, LPN.
Williams splits her time working PRN shifts as an infection control LPN at Promise Hospital and providing resident care within The Village at Germantown assisted living facility. Her responsibilities managing IV medications, chronic illnesses and infection prevention protocols highlight the range of critical support LPNs offer alongside other nursing colleagues and physicians.
“I love knowing my care makes a major difference helping patients heal and age gracefully with dignity,” Williams shares. “With compassion and skill, LPNs change lives across Memphis daily.”
How to Choose the Top LPN Training Program in Memphis
Aspiring nurses exploring LPN programs should consider key factors like curriculum quality, affordability, location convenience and graduate outcomes when selecting schools.
Thoroughly researching program specifics can help identify those offering the best training experience matching your learning needs. Additionally, touring campuses and directly engaging program coordinators proves extremely beneficial.
Memphis hosts numerous reputable college options to earn an LPN technical certificate or diploma in just 12-18 months, including:
- Concorde Career College
- Delta Technical College
- Southwest Tennessee Community College
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology
- Baptist Memorial College of Health Sciences
Among quality offerings, three Memphis LPN programs rise distinctively for their proven training pedigrees. Let’s spotlight their strengths:
Concorde Career College – Memphis
- Diploma program duration: 12 months
- Total program credits: 36
- Campus location: Central Memphis
The Practical Nursing Diploma program offered through Concorde’s Memphis campus blends classroom and lab instruction with over 630 hours of supervised clinical experience regionally. Students gain exposure across settings like hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities.
The balanced curriculum covers core concepts such as Fundamentals of Nursing, Body Structure and Function, Pharmacology and Nutrition. Small class cohorts of just 20 students ensure close faculty interaction and guidance.
Additionally, Concorde Memphis delivers stellar career support. A dedicated Graduate Employment team promotes students and connects graduates with LPN job vacancies across major area providers. Impressively, 93% of recent Concorde Memphis nursing graduates secured LPN nursing positions locally.
Take Briana Thompson who completed Concorde’s LPN program in 2021. Within weeks of graduating and passing her licensing exam, she received an LPN job offer to work PRN shifts at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
“Concorde prepared me extremely well for delivering quality care in hospital settings,” shares Thompson. “My instructors were very approachable, answering questions and always willing to help.”
Delta Technical College
- Diploma program duration: 16 months
- Total program credits: 48
- Campus location: Horn Lake, Mississippi
Delta Tech’s rigorous practical nursing curriculum meticulously covers anatomy, physiology, nutrition, pharmacology and nursing concepts through online, classroom and lab modules.
Students also complete over 750 hours of clinical rotations across Memphis providers to gain extensive patient care experience. Facilities like Baptist Memorial DeSoto Hospital, Landmark Hospital and Symphony Care Center partner to host students.
The program’s cornerstone, however, is its stellar industry-experienced faculty. compassionate instructors like Dr. Laura Smith, a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, provide consistent one-on-one mentoring. This support proves critical guiding students through the intense demands of combined nursing coursework and clinical requirements.
Smith also specifically prepares Delta Tech LPN graduates to succeed on the national nursing licensure exam. Impressively, over 96% of the program’s recent first-time test takers passed the NCLEX-PN licensure exam.
Southwest Tennessee Community College
- Total program credits: 49
- Duration: 3 consecutive semesters
- Campus location: Downtown Memphis
Southwest Tennessee Community College delivers an affordable and accredited practical nursing pathway. Through its traditional credit course format, students gain well over 600 hours of clinical experience across the program’s 3 semester timeframe.
Course modules emphasize critical thinking, clinical decision making, pharmacology and direct patient care. And Southwest maintains excellent partnerships with over 20 major hospitals and health centers to host students. Clinical placements therefore prove highly enriching, allowing learners to connect concepts covered to real nursing workflows.
Additionally, Southwest integrates cutting-edge simulation lab technology for added skills development in an engaging environment. Life-like computerized mannequins present realistic patient scenarios through customizable vital sign monitoring and response capabilities. Such immersive learning closely resembles situations students will encounter in healthcare settings.
According to Southwest nursing faculty member Heather Dalton, this hybrid training approach blending simulation learning and extensive clinical requirements uniquely prepares graduates for practice while supporting NRLEX-PN exam success.
An exceptional 96% first-time pass rate for recent graduates demonstrates the effectiveness of Southwest’s LPN program.
Insider Tips for Current LPN Students
For nursing students midway through their programs, practicing LPNs emphasize key advice to finish strong:
- “Actively engage during clinicals through asking questions and seeking assessments. This shows initiative managers want in future hires.” – Danielle C., LPN at Saint Francis Hospital
- “Form solid study groups to discuss concepts. Teaching friends helps reinforce material personally too.” – Mark J, LPN at Promise Hospital
- “Don’t underestimate practicing critical thinking scenarios you may encounter as an LPN through vignettes or NCLEX sample questions.” – Sandra W., LPN Preceptor at Methodist University Hospital
Additionally, connecting early on with nurse recruiters at facilities offering new graduate transition programs can provide future options. Major Memphis providers like Baptist Memorial Health Care, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and Saint Francis Hospital accept nursing student applications for such development tracks pre-graduation.
Steps to Earn LPN Licensure in Tennessee
All prospective practical nurses must satisfy key licensure requirements showcasing competency to practice.
Step 1: Graduate from an Approved LPN Program
Following acceptance into a quality local LPN program, students complete curriculum and clinical training over 12-18 months. Proper course planning and program support helps smooth students’ journey to graduation.
Step 2: Pass the National Licensure Exam
After finishing their program, nursing graduates must pass the computerized NCLEX-PN nursing exam. Content sections test medical/surgical nursing knowledge, pharmacotherapeutics, maternal/child concepts and more.
Boasting stellar first-time passage rates, schools like Delta Technical College (96%) and Concorde Career College Memphis (93%) showcase their ability to impeccably prep students for the makeup exam.
Step 3: Apply for State Licensure
Finally, prospective practical nurses submit a completed application to Tennessee’s Health Related Boards for review and registration. Once approved, nursing graduates officially enter the LPN workforce ready to begin applying for area openings.
Financial Aid Options for Nursing Students
When weighing LPN programs in Memphis, cost factors heavily into most prospective students’ decisions. exploring all possible financial assistance options can significantly lower out-of-pocket expenses.
Many incoming nursing pupils access Federal Pell Grants and Direct Subsidized Loans covering technical program costs. Additionally, colleges like Southwest Tennessee Community College facilitate lottery scholarships and other aid for qualifying enrolled students.
Private education loans through credit unions, banks and other lenders present another common route. Comparing rates and repayment terms helps identify affordable solutions for funding nursing school. Some hospitals and clinics even offer tuition reimbursement or repayment assistance in return for graduate work commitments.
Lastly, research scholarships! Memphis providers, nursing advocacy groups and honor societies award annual scholarships regionally. Eligibility factors range from academic performance, ethnicity, gender and more.
Career Advancement Prospects for LPNs
While rewarding LPN patient care roles remain the most common opportunity pathway for program graduates, prospective nurses should know experiential or continued learning also enables career growth.
After solidifying fundamental bedside nursing skills through a few years of practice, LPNs may transition into roles like:
- Medical Office Nurse
- School Nurse
- Patient Navigator
- Case Management Nurse
- Infection Control Nurse
Additionally, many experienced LPNs elect to advance their original credentials enrolling in RN bridge programs. Offered locally through Baptist College of Health Sciences, Union University, Southwest Tennessee Community College and others, these specialized curriculums credit prior LPN medical coursework while integrating bachelor’s in nursing content.
RN degree completion then opens further advancement avenues like Nurse Supervisor, Nurse Educator, Clinical Research Nurse and more. Ambitious nurses can also pursue Nurse Practitioner master’s credentials through graduate schools.
So while rewarding LPN patient care roles remain the most common opportunity pathway for program graduates, prospective nurses should know experiential or continued learning also enables career growth.
Insider Tips for Thriving as a New LPN
Gaining hard-won experience through an LPN program prepares graduates well across paper. Yet many new nurses still encounter steep on-the-job learning curves dealing with real clinical challenges and pressures.
Practical veteran nurses and managers emphasize crucial pointers helping novice LPNs excel:
- “Ask colleagues questions constantly your first 6 months if you don’t completely understand something. Never risk patient safety.” – Sandra W., Nurse Manager, Promise Hospital
- “Build organization habits tracking tasks needing completion. Patient needs can overwhelm without proper planning.” – Mark J., LPN Preceptor, Saint Francis Hospital Bartlett
- “Perfect foundational skills like properly documenting assessments, vital sign measurement and IV insertion technique.” – Laura T., Home Health Staff Educator, Encompass Health
Further advice includes thoroughly reviewing hospital policies/procedures for assigned units and consulting supervising RNs often. While demanding, deliberately honing core capabilities through commitment primes new LPNs for success.
Top Memphis Sites for LPN Job Placement
The Memphis region provides no shortage of providers welcoming newly licensed LPNs, including:
- Major Hospital Networks: Baptist Memorial, Methodist Healthcare, Saint Francis, Regional One
- Rehabilitation & Nursing Facilities: The Village at Germantown, Graceland Rehab Center, Parkway Health & Rehab
- Home Health Services: Encompass Health, Interim HealthCare, Excel Home Care Services
- Hospice Care: Methodist Healthcare Hospice, Compassus, Saint Francis Home Care Services
- Specialty Centers: Promise Hospital, derivan dermatology
New LPNs gain helpful experience in practically any setting. However, placements supporting extensive preceptor mentorships best facilitate skills development and professional growth.
When researching openings, ask thorough questions about unit resource levels and development programs. Seeking friendly, team-focused environments also aids transitioning beyond the learning curve positively.
Launch Your Nursing Career in Thriving Memphis
The bustling Memphis region promises bright outlooks for aspiring LPNs ready to embrace challenging yet fulfilling nursing roles. From small private colleges to large community program providers, quality training pathways exist locally to launch healthcare careers.
Leverage the guidance throughout this guide when researching top accredited LPN programs in Memphis matching your needs. Compare curriculums, clinical hour requirements, technologic resources, graduate outcomes and other aspects to identify impactful options.
Through proper planning, academic diligence and skill dedication, near-term rewarding LPN employment opportunities await throughout Memphis. Confidently embark on a compassionate nursing journey now knowing insider perspectives for succeeding every step of the certification and job search process!